Dun Laoghaire Guitar Night 9

Dun Laoghaire Guitar Night 9 will take place on Friday, 6th December in the Eblana Club. It will feature classical guitarist Pat Coldrick and a group featuring jazz guitarist Tommy Halferty called Jazz In The Round. Doors 7.30 / Music at 8.

Tickets: https://www.eventbrite.ie/e/dun-laoghaire-guitar-night-9-tickets-1083143925639 

We are asking attendees to please give a voluntary donation to support the night (recommended amount €15). This event is hosted and organized by the Eblana Club.

Pat Coldrick

Pat Coldrick is a virtuoso performer who has been working for the last six years in Ireland but has also performed Recitals in Europe, the USA and Russia. Pat has been described as ‘pushing the boundaries of classical guitar’ with his musical interpretations and compositions and has made classical guitar exciting, interesting and more accessible to music lovers in general. Through his interpretation of music and by exploring and embracing new technologies he strives to enhance the dynamics of the classical guitar and bring his music to a wider audience both at home and abroad. His music defies genre and appeals to a wide cross section of music lovers. While Pat plays his own arrangements of great classical pieces, it is his own compositions that sets him apart – pieces such as Opelia, Lament, CityJam and Antarctica to name but a few. Pat’s skillful and atmospheric connection with his audience is an art form in itself and is in total contrast to other more formal classical performances.

He has a very easy going, laid back and unassuming approach and his interaction with the audience and philosophy of ‘entertaining’ rather than ‘educating’ his listeners is a breath of fresh air. Once Pat begins to play people are immediately captivated by his dedication, passion and skill. His interpretation and delivery of each piece combined with his superb artistry as a performer results in his unique ability to make his audience laugh and equally move them to tears. To date Pat has produced 3 albums – Cayendo in 2010, CityJam in 2014 and the latest Ophelia, released in November 2018. Since the launch of these albums his music has been played on all the major radio stations in Ireland and abroad. It’s fair to say that Pat’s music is currently attracting a lot of attention in classical quarters and beyond. Pat is now widely acknowledged as a very accomplished musician and composer who is succeeding in bringing classical guitar music ‘Centre Stage’ where he so passionately believes it belongs. Pat’s musical formation has not followed normal traditional lines. He is mainly self-taught and in a relatively short period of time he has put together an impressive body of work and has gained considerable recognition throughout Ireland and Internationally both as a performer and composer.

Jazz in the Round

A new band of old hands. Irish guitarist Tommy Halferty has reached legendary status on the Irish jazz scene, having been active both here and abroad for over 50 years. He is joined by two, now seasoned veterans, in Greg Felton and Cormac OBrien on piano and double bass respectively. They come together with this new project Jazz In The Round to explore some arrangements of old favourites and some original compositions, navigating the rich harmonic backdrops of the likes of Carla Bley and John Abercrombie, Gene De Paul and Cole Porter. 

https://www.allaboutjazz.com/tommy-halferty-cormac-obrien-greg-fenton-at-scotts-jazz-club-tommy-halferty 

Tommy Halferty (Guitar)

Born in Derry, Northern Ireland, he began his musical career in the late 70s taking Jazz Guitar lessons with Louis Stewart, a world class jazz musician. Some of his earliest appearances playing public were with bands such as `Jump' - a jazz fusion group and later on `Nunn' - a trio of flute, double bass and guitar. Most of the material here was drawn from classical, folk and jazz music. In '93 Tommy toured Ireland with the jazz singer Norma Winstone culminating in the Cork Jazz Festival. About this time, Tommy began to form a group combining atraditional music and jazz using Tommy Hayes (Bodhrán) and Ronan Brown (Uilleann pipes), appearing on T.V. in Germany and Ireland. However, a distillation of many styles of music - Indian, Flamenco, Arabic and Irish took shape in `Khanda' - a new group with Ramesh Shotham from India, Conor and Ronan Guilfoyle, Martin Nolan (Pipes) and Ellen Cranitch (Flute) from Ireland. Tommy has played as part of a guitar duo (with Mike Nielsen) in the Tel-Aviv International Guitar Festival '94. They were voted Critic's Choice in `The Jerusalem Post' of that year. A special honour was given to Tommy when he was asked to play for President Clinton when he visited Ireland in November '96. Tommy is a faculty member of the International Jazz Summer School at the University of Ulster, since its inception in 1992. Tommy teaches Jazz improvisation in New Park Music Centre, and has been instrumental in getting Jazz music in the current Leaving Certificate Music course. Tommy is currently teaching English Literature and Music in Coolmine Community School. He is considered one of the first Irish jazz musician to export a distinctly indigenous style to a more worldwide setting

Greg Felton (Piano)

Described by BBC radio Ulster's Dr. Linley Hamilton as ‘an incredible force for good in Irish jazz, Greg Felton is a highly accomplished performer, improvisor, composer and educator from Dublin, Ireland. ‘Good Friday’ the debut album of jazz piano trio Origin Story, with Cormac OBrien and Matthew Jacobson, was named the jazz album of 2020 by the Irish Times. He was the featured artist on BBC Radio Ulster’s Jazz World in June 2021 as well as being featured in both ‘The Encyclopaedia of Music in Ireland’ and ‘The History of European Jazz’ books. He is a fulltime jazz lecturer in DCU where he specialises in composition, rhythm studies, advanced harmony and jazz piano. Greg holds an MA in Composition from Waterford Institute of Technology and an AGSM in Jazz Performance from Newpark Music Centre/ Guildhall School of Music and Drama. He studied South Indian classical rhythm and melody in Chennai with Dr. K.S.S. Subramaniam and Trichur Narendran in 2006, creative improvisation in Banff with Vijay Iyer, Greg Osby and Dave Douglas in 2005 and advanced harmony and composition in Pennsylvania with Dave Liebman in 2004. Past and present bands include Origin Story (co-composer), White Rocket (co-composer), Michael Buckley Quartet, Ronan Guilfoyle’s Always Know, Mappa Mundi and Evidence, Louis Stewart Quintet, Mike Nielsen Quartet and Mel Mercier’s Pulsus. He has performed in many countries worldwide including India, USA, Mexico, Italy, Canada, Greece, France, Macedonia, UK and Scotland as well numerous jazz festivals around Ireland.

Cormac O’Brien (Double Bass)

Cormac O'Brien is the Chair of the BA in Jazz and Contemporary Music at DCU, boasting a career spanning over 20 years as a professional double bassist in the Dublin and greater Irish music scene. Throughout his extensive career, he has had the privilege of collaborating with some of Ireland's finest musicians, including Louis Stewart, Tommy Halferty, Michael Buckley, Hugh Buckley, The Kai Big Band, The Zoid Ensemble, Lunfardia, Yurodny, Jack L, and Mary Coughlan. In his capacity as the head of the Jazz and Contemporary Music program, Cormac imparts his wealth of knowledge by teaching various ensembles, instrumental skills, and instrumental lab classes. Drawing from his experiences as a working musician, his goal is to share valuable insights and practical skills essential for aspiring performers. Cormac believes in the universal language of music and the limitless possibilities it offers. Cormac O'Brien's international collaborations include performances with renowned artists such as Bobby Watson, Ernie Watts, Stan Sulzmann, Pete Churchill, Marshall Gilkes, Rick Margitza, Ryan Quigley, John Riley, Bruce Adams, and many others. In recent times, he has been actively involved with well-known groups like Origin Story, Carole Nelson Trio, The Workshop, and Rhythm Method. Beyond his diverse portfolio, Cormac has also contributed his musical talents to various West End shows, including notable productions like "Come From Away" and "Girl From The North Country." His broad love for music and extensive collaborations reflect a career dedicated to both artistic excellence and musical education.